CHAMPIONS

Happy Sunday!  The Breeders’ Cup was action packed with the 2nd day, Saturday, being a seemingly endless string of longshot winners. Canadians celebrated JUDY THE BEAUTY’S win, she is only the 5th Canadian-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race, but our locals did not fare well..

How about HALF BROTHERS..CITY ZIP and GHOSTZAPPER? They had 3 of the Cup winners and the latter was 1-2 in the Filly and Mare Sprint..

Meanwhile – STRUT THE COURSE crushes at Woodbine, SHARP SENSATION wraps up Canadian champion sprinter with another win outside the home country (on 3rd different surface)…what a day..

 

 

BEYER FIGURES OF WINNERS

BAYERN                                 113
TAKE CHARGE BRANDI 83
DAYATTHESPA             102
JUDY THE BEAUTY     95
BOBBY’S KITTEN         98
TEXAS RED                      104
MAIN SEQUENCE        106
WORK ALL WEEK       105
KARAKONTIE               110

BAYERN guts it out in CLASSIC
Controversial start to the race has raised questions

Trainer BOB BAFFERT got his Breeders’ Cup Classic, so did owner KALEEM SHAH, whose father was among the top trainers in India for decades. And MARTIN GARCIA was also riding his first Breeders’ Cup winner.
And one of them were concerned that the inquiry sign went up soon after the wild finish that saw the 3-year-old by Offlee Wild ($4,000 stud fee) battle his pace nemesis TOAST OF NEW YORK (Thewayouare) all the way, hang on to win even as 3yo hero CALIFORNIA CHROME charged late.

The dramatic left turn that BAYERN made out of the gate was caught right away by Breeders’ Cup caller Larry Collmus, who noted that the colt veered in and knocked SHARED BELIEF silly, and that one knocked MORENO, who was quickly out of pace contention.

From DRF LIVE notes after the race (Steve Anderson):

The inquiry focused on whether Bayern interfered with Shared Belief, who was drawn one post position to his inside. Shared Belief eventually finished fourth.

“When the contact occurred at the start, according to the rules, we thought the horse was not cost a better placing,” steward Kim Sawyer said of Shared Belief.

Sawyer serves as a steward with Scott Chaney and Kim Ward. They ruled that Shared Belief was bothered more significantly by another incident later in the stretch when jockey Mike Smith was forced to check the gelding in the opening quarter-mile when Toast of New York crossed toward the rail and Shared Belief ranged closer to Moreno in front of him.

“He was bothered more by horses that he beat,” Sawyer said of the second incident.

Sawyer said that another contributing factor in the decision was when Moreno drifted to the inside shortly after the start, closer to Shared Belief.

The decision was met with a chorus of boos by racing fans.

Indeed, SHARED BELIEF had a dreadful, unlucky trip and ran well anyway. CALIFORNIA CHROME ran a super race ad still must be considered the champion 3yo colt based on his consistent record.
Bayern is 6 for 10 this year and he did win the Haskel and Pennsylvania Derby but he was blasted in the Preakness and Travers Stakes, losing each race by 20 lengths.

BAYERN was a $320,000 2yo purchase by Donato Lanni at the Fasig Tipton Midatlantic sale in 2013 after he colt worked in 21 3/5. The female family traces back to COURTLY DEE, a blue hen mare. BAYERN’s listed buyer at the Fasig Tipton sale was MR. ED SAVANT, which is the name used by Bob Baffert. Shah was not revealed as buyer at the time.
OFFLEE WILD  is by Wild Again.

from BILL FINLEY ESPN

Yes, give Bayern credit. He’s a fast horse and a game horse, and his name is etched in the history book as the winner of the 2014 Breeders’ Classic. But he didn’t win the race. The stewards won it for him.

Bayern should have been disqualified. Absolutely 100 percent, he should have come down from atop the tote board.

Many times, stewards, whether in a Breeders’ Cup race or a $4,000 claimer, will excuse incidents that happen right out of the gate. The theory, I guess, is horses veer in and out at the start all the time, and the rest of the field has plenty of time to recover. That might or might not be a good way to look at things when adjudicating the races, but what the Santa Anita stewards clearly failed to take into account is how much of an impact Bayern’s antics at the start had on the race. It’s unimaginable that he would have won had he not impeded Shared Belief at the start and had Shared Belief not in turn bothered Moreno.

http://espn.go.com/horse-racing/story/_/id/11806565/bayern-disqualified

 

BEAUTY! JUDY THE BEAUTY – foaled in Ontario at Adena Springs, 5th Breeders’ Cup winner bred in Canada

 

 

 

She is a beauty. JUDY THE BEAUTY (Ghostazapper – Holy Blitz by Holy Bull) is 9 for 18 in her career for Wesley Ward, who won 2 Breeders’ Cup races over the 2 days. Bred by Adena Springs, the 5yo mare has raced at 10 different tracks! She won the SHADY WELL at Woodbine as a 2yo beating Dene Court and has been to Europe, Florida, Kentucky. Pennsylvania, everywhere!

Oh yes, JUDY THE BEAUTY cost $20,000 at Keeneland as a yearling. She has a 2yo full brother (Ky. bred) named Z Besha, owned by Zayat Stables.

LEIGH COURT had a good stalking position, was trying really hard to get to the lead off the turn but she ultimately slipped back, perhaps being dulled a bit by the huge effort at Keeneland last time and the 36 hour van ride.

 

BREEDER’S CUP MILE

KARAKONTIE was hung out in post 14 so perhaps that is why he did not get a lot of buzz during the week even though the colt had a troubled trip in the Prix fr la Foret in his last start.
The Bernstein 3yo was a Group 1 winner of the Poule d’Essia des Poulains but was totally overlooked at 30 to 1. He  won quite handily although he was a bit erratic in the stretch. ANODIN, the full brother to Goldikova, was 2nd and he steadied just before the wire. TRADE STORM, the Woodbine Mile winner, was a good 3rd.
He is a Japanese bred out of a Sunday Silence bred and owned by the Niarchos family, who won the Turf also.
KAIGUN and GRAND ARCH  were always well back and simply outrun by this good field.

BREEDERS’ CUP SPRINT

WORK ALL WEEK is 10 for 10 on dirt. He is 12 for 15 in his life and has only been worse than 3rd one time. MIDWEST THOROUGHBREDS bred this 5yo gelding by CITY ZIP, who pressed the wild pace by FAST ANNA (21.19, 43.40) and he held off last year’s Sprint winner SECRET CIRCLE.
Florent Geroux rode the winner who was foaled in Illinois.
Big day for CITY ZIP ($25,000 fee), who had 2 winners (DAYATTTHESPA in the Filly and Mare Turf). He is a half brother to Ghostzapper.

BREEDERS’ CUP TURF

More Flaxman Holdings (Niarchos family) as MAIN SEQUENCE got it done again – this guy is 4 for 4 in North America and in 2014 and he won every race by a head or neck. This is a true homebred for the Niarchos family as they bred the sire, Aldebaran (by Mr. Prospector_).

MAIN SEQUENCE has thrived in North American with Lasix but he was 2nd in the EPSOM DERBY 2 years ago.

 

BREEDERS’ CUP JUVENILE

Kent Desormeaux rode the winner TEXAS RED for his brother Keith and that was a nice story as this $17,000 purchase blew the field away after the leaders went silly on the pace. By Afleet Alex out of Ramatuelle by Jeunne Homme, the colt was bred by Stonestreet Holdings and he is owned by partners Erich Brehm, Wayne Detmar, Lee Michaels, J. Keith Desormeaux Et Al

The winner came from last place, well behind a 5 horse pace that saw DAREDEVIL get hung out widest while he was sent along by Javier Castellano. Any 2yo that was near that pace was toast by the stretch run

 

TURF SPRINT

Canadian based SOMETHING EXTRA had a nice position early in the downhill turf dash but the pace was searing. incredibly, the winner was the 3yo BOBBY’S KITTEN, who was last off the turn and came home like Silky Sullivan to win for Ken and Sarah Ramsay and trainer Chad Brown.

(DYK – Chad Brown was the underbidder last year on BAYERN at the 2yo sale in Maryland?)

BOBBY’S KITTEN came out of the Woodbine Mile and he had been 3rd that day. This was his 5th win in 11 races and his first start – ever – in sprint race. He is by Kitten’s Joy out of a Forestry mare.

 

FILLY AND MARE TURF

DAYATTHESPA, first time at 10 furlongs, led all the way to win her 3rd straight stakes race and 2nd straight Grade 1. She is 11 for 18 in her career and a tough mare who is by City Zip. She was 2nd in the Natalma at Woodbine 3 years ago to Northern Passion.

JUVENILE FILLIES

Wow – TAKE CHARGE BRANDI led all the way at 6- tp 1 for trainer D Wayne Lukas. Yep, the Giant’s Causeway filly, a $435,000 yearling owned by Willis Horton, had been blasted in three straight graded stakes race but turned it around with a head-scratcher of an effort to kick off the Breeders’ Cup.

Conquest Eclipse, trained by Mark Casse, was 7th and was never involved.

 

STRUTTIN!~

 

Strut the Course shrugged off an assortment of shippers in the Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes yesterday at Woodbine, won for fun with a 92 Beyer Figure and could be a leading player for champion older mare in Canada. The Ontario sired gal by Strut the Stage is a homebred for JOhn Unger and she toyed with this group after a good ride by Luis Contreras. Contreras was subbing for Eurico da Silva who was at the Breeders’ Cup.

Trained by Barb Minshall, Strut the Course is 7 for 16 in her career, 4 for 6 this year, and she has won over $550,000.

Today at Woodbine, the big race for Canadian-bred 2yo fillies – the PRINCESS ELIZABETH, offers a purse of $250,000. It is Race 7.

 

SHARP SENSATION wraps under CHAMPION CANADIAN SPRINTER

 

 

Quietly, ever so quietly, SHARP SENSATION owned by Jim and Susan Hill, has been a monster of large proportions this year. While the HIll’s were likely glued to Grand arch at the Breeders’ Cup, speedy SHARP SENSATION was winning his 4th race of the year, 3rd stake in the Bet on Sunshine at Churchill Downs. The 4yo by Sharp Humour edged the class Nates Mineshaft ($700K) in the  6 furlong dirt sprint and it was the first dirt race for Sharp sensation, who is trained by Reade Baker.

Sharp sensation, a $55,000 weanling, had blinkers off for the first time. He won the Grade 3 Turf Monster on grass in Sept at Parx anfd the Karl Boyes on synthetic at Persque Isle.

Jockey CHANNING HILL –  “I had a great trip. I had to tap the brakes a little bit going into the turn, but nothing too wild. My horse was all class. I do have to give (trainer) Anne Smith credit for having her horse (Nates Mineshaft) ready. At the top of the lane I wasn’t sure if I was going to reel him in or not. But I’m lucky I had a really class horse that wanted it. (Trainer) Reade (Baker) had him ready to go and honestly I was just a pilot for that guy today. He’s got a ton of ability. The only question mark going in was the dirt, but I’d say he answered that pretty well today.”